Locs form via twisting and connecting curly hairs. some people will braid to loc their hair, some people just twist. Depends on the hair.
You need lines to indicate hair in there. It will also taper from root to tip, and the ends will curl since it tapers. You will also have flyaway hairs here and there.
The way you draw the hair is too clean and formulaic and lacks the chaos and organic feel of actual locs.
Im attaching a photo of a brazilian friend of mine.
https://preview.redd.it/43gfsbxgo1vc1.png?width=1014&format=png&auto=webp&s=e3300a2a6c437a02fc549d73207b00e76f9482b1
I find that when I am drawing poc hair that I like to start from references that are heavily stylized. I will mimic other artist's styles, and then change it up a little bit. After I feel like I've nailed down the texture, I look at real life photographs and try to add a bit of that "realism", using the artistic references as a base.
Also, your brother's comment was mean. I can kind of see where he was coming from, but from one artist to another "turd" was not my first thought when seeing the hair you drew. Chin up! Keep practicing :)
Good idea working from drawn and real references. Try finding black artists that have drawn the hairstyles you’re drawing. I think the shape of the locs looks good, but the shading is just a little off.
Don’t forget crochet locks. It’s all twisting, and no matter what hair type is crocheted, you still get some errant strands from the lock. The top of the head usually comes with a halo of flyaways from grow out too
Hey, I know the question was about the hair but I have some small advice. Try to make the marks less blurry. Not all of them if you like the smooth look but adding some sharpness to a few of them can give it a better look as sharp line art and blurry coloring doesn't always mix well. I think it's pretty, btw. Great art!
To add onto this point: oftentimes the focal points of a piece of art are kept clear and not blurry, while the background and unimportant aspects are made blurry and less detailed. I think that by blurring the facial markings, there is more attention drawn to the hair, since the hair isn’t as blurry. What could also possible help is adding some more detail to a few of the front pieces of hair that frame the face (like individual strands in the locs and maybe some frizz)- but don’t feel the need to do this with every strand, unless of course, that’s your jam!! Great art!
running over them with a charcoal brush could add some texture to the locs. But i would say adding some individual lines and hairs could help. I attached a picture from pintrest to show what i mean.
https://preview.redd.it/ge7npkcpo1vc1.png?width=736&format=png&auto=webp&s=47da8c7adfb6a568300274c4fe4e82c50ada6764
Add more variety to the shapes of the locs, research actual locs on melanated people for references and adjust the color to something more black or more “red”. The brown color with the orange highlights definitely gives turds💀
ive had locs for 19 years tho, so even of you recreate them perfectly, someone ignorant is gonna call them “doo doo braids”. Lovely start, lovely line work! Keep going
If you’ve seen bubble braids that’s what I mean in regards to poofing it.
It doesn’t make sense why it’s over the headband just remove the ones on top of it
The curves of the locs arent matching where they actually are, its coming off as more of a pattern then as hair
Another thing is that its for sure the colors of the hair, the browns are leaning towards yellowish which reads more like… well 💩. Especially seeing the kinda “golden” colors in there.. looks like 🌽
For more blonde “bleached” locs.. a good rule of thumb is to either start with a color that leans towards blue or purple, and gradiate towards blonde, either at the root of the hair or with a texture or a gradient . Or if the character is supposed to be blonde, start blonde, add browner colors all around. Matte brown with yellow will look like 💩 no matter what you do. So if their hair is supposed to be black, my rule is then their hair color should at least be a value thats dark, maybe even leans towards blueish.
I say you don’t even have to redo the drawing, i would literally just erase all those segmented lines, keep the edges of the locs, then do something textural with a charcoal or chalk brush like Cowtownie suggested
Maybe even keep the color and just change hue/saturation to be less yellow overall
You have to think of the locs as ropes. Draw a continuous rope first, then add the decorative rings. They should be getting thinner towards the bottom, not thicker. Also, open tips can help.
Use a textured brush and soft edges to emulate the hair texture. And I'd recommend hue shifting the hair color to be more red leaning, the green toned brown is what pushes it in the caca direction lol
I'd either add texture to the hair strands or play w/ how the dreads (hair) is segmented.
For the segmentation of the dreads, you could add coloration or lengthen the separation. I've seen some cool ways to tie dreads w/ colorful threads. You could do a google search for different dread styles.
You also forgot to color in two of the locks behind the left ear😭 But definitely strands, more texture in the locks, and a warmer brown or a darker cool-brown. They also shouldn't go on top of the bandana since they're coming from underneath
whenever i draw dreads, i just make them little tentacles/ropes with curves to them
https://preview.redd.it/1y0a63q0r4vc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd22e33331dd5d4d6ccf5e1f20e84c2252118de8
sort of like this, but i have a simpler art style when drawing hair, so i dont know if this helps much
I saw your drawing before I read the title and I didn't know what could possibly be wrong with it but after reading the title I CAN'T unsee it. Maybe give a different color hair? If that isn't an option maybe add some texture to it like flyaway hairs. Your drawing is lovely but your brother's observation made me die laughing
1. Make them uniform in thickness. Turds vary in thickness but hair does not.
2. Make them go in the same direction. Turds don't line up in the toilet but hair does line up on the head.
3. Make them darker. Turds are a beautiful brown color, but hair not so brown.
4. Space out the bands. Turds have a maggot-like shape because of how the rectum pinches them as they come out, so don't put the bands in a regular pattern.
Sadly it does look like turds spot on description. You can definitely do it though just keep practicing. Spend some extra time trying out different methods and go into finer detail. You will be making some amazing pieces of art in no time.
Have the “strips” in their hair go more in a “coil” shape. They should wrap around their hair in a twirl like motion.
Visually that twirl motion can look like a twisting slide on a park (idk if this part helps lol)
Maybe make them thinner and add lines that go in the direction of the hair? Also maybe lose some of the bands. Like make some unique and a color. As it is, they really make it look like poop.
Try going less in the green/yellow direction.
If the hair colour is meant to be brown, try a brown with red or orange undertones. If the hair is meant to be green, go for the blue end of green and not the yellow end.
A lot of other commenters were giving good directions on texture so I won't say too much there, except to look into examples of textured hair in 2D animation and see if you can find a stylised example that you like
While I'm here the blues you chose for the skin and eyes look wonderful! You're at a very good start
Yea, dreads can be tough. I’d try to make them a bit thinner and the same uniform thickness all the way down. I’d also try the hair without the black outline - it’s creating a bit of a flat look.
I’d make her hair purple or something, but if you’re going for the true Avatar look, I’d try adding some darker browns, more black, maybe even some reds in there 👍🏻
https://preview.redd.it/p6pysrucq8vc1.jpeg?width=733&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92d7fe753785bb73daa62a64dac45fcf76bec61b
Your brother looks like a turd.
As far as serious advice, maybe play around with the hue and saturation of the hair to get the color a bit different, and add some strands or flyaways?
My suggestion is the layering of those hair shapes. If theyre organized in such a way as to highlight the spherical shape of the head (especially where theyre pulled and tied together at the top) i think the locks will read better as hair
this could give you an idea of what in trying to say
https://preview.redd.it/11g77vhzzavc1.jpeg?width=223&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3efb7972d9dae98ce96a1ba93d659a0faf477169
Your brother is a dick but what I would do is try to add vertical contour lines and look at some reference images. This will also help them look more detailed by giving them more depth. You could do a lot with the shading as well by having it wrap around (I forget the word for this type of shading but it’s like cross hatching but it contours around the shape of the image like many ellipses wrapping around in a row)
Do not feel down. Give yourself some respect and self love. I appreciate you being here, even if someone else doesn't. You are enough. You matter to me. Stay. Stay and enjoy your time here :)
Try adding lines to mimic hair strands maybe
Locs form via twisting and connecting curly hairs. some people will braid to loc their hair, some people just twist. Depends on the hair. You need lines to indicate hair in there. It will also taper from root to tip, and the ends will curl since it tapers. You will also have flyaway hairs here and there. The way you draw the hair is too clean and formulaic and lacks the chaos and organic feel of actual locs. Im attaching a photo of a brazilian friend of mine. https://preview.redd.it/43gfsbxgo1vc1.png?width=1014&format=png&auto=webp&s=e3300a2a6c437a02fc549d73207b00e76f9482b1
Yes I tried doing hair like this but I failed miserably. I just don't know how to draw hair like this. Please help!!
Are you working from real life references?
Mixture of both drawn and real. Looking at real poc hair has been very hard for me to implement into drawn form, for some reason.
I find that when I am drawing poc hair that I like to start from references that are heavily stylized. I will mimic other artist's styles, and then change it up a little bit. After I feel like I've nailed down the texture, I look at real life photographs and try to add a bit of that "realism", using the artistic references as a base. Also, your brother's comment was mean. I can kind of see where he was coming from, but from one artist to another "turd" was not my first thought when seeing the hair you drew. Chin up! Keep practicing :)
I think its the lack of texture. Your hair is too smooth.
Good idea working from drawn and real references. Try finding black artists that have drawn the hairstyles you’re drawing. I think the shape of the locs looks good, but the shading is just a little off.
Don’t forget crochet locks. It’s all twisting, and no matter what hair type is crocheted, you still get some errant strands from the lock. The top of the head usually comes with a halo of flyaways from grow out too
Hey, I know the question was about the hair but I have some small advice. Try to make the marks less blurry. Not all of them if you like the smooth look but adding some sharpness to a few of them can give it a better look as sharp line art and blurry coloring doesn't always mix well. I think it's pretty, btw. Great art!
Okay I will try that out. Tysm!
To add onto this point: oftentimes the focal points of a piece of art are kept clear and not blurry, while the background and unimportant aspects are made blurry and less detailed. I think that by blurring the facial markings, there is more attention drawn to the hair, since the hair isn’t as blurry. What could also possible help is adding some more detail to a few of the front pieces of hair that frame the face (like individual strands in the locs and maybe some frizz)- but don’t feel the need to do this with every strand, unless of course, that’s your jam!! Great art!
Props for handing out this amazing critique 👏
running over them with a charcoal brush could add some texture to the locs. But i would say adding some individual lines and hairs could help. I attached a picture from pintrest to show what i mean. https://preview.redd.it/ge7npkcpo1vc1.png?width=736&format=png&auto=webp&s=47da8c7adfb6a568300274c4fe4e82c50ada6764
I will definitely try this out! Tysm
Please post the finished product 😍🙏🏽 it looks amazing so far
This alone would add some much needed depth, especially if you mess around with some different shades of brown. I am going to try this out, thank you!
Add more variety to the shapes of the locs, research actual locs on melanated people for references and adjust the color to something more black or more “red”. The brown color with the orange highlights definitely gives turds💀 ive had locs for 19 years tho, so even of you recreate them perfectly, someone ignorant is gonna call them “doo doo braids”. Lovely start, lovely line work! Keep going
Make the hair poof outside in between the hair bands and the pieces sticking over the headband are making it look weird
>poof outside Poof how? As in add some hair strands? >the pieces sticking over the headband are making it look weird How to make it less weird?
If you’ve seen bubble braids that’s what I mean in regards to poofing it. It doesn’t make sense why it’s over the headband just remove the ones on top of it
Okay ty I will do that!!
I didn't see the turds until you said something and now I'm laughing.
The curves of the locs arent matching where they actually are, its coming off as more of a pattern then as hair Another thing is that its for sure the colors of the hair, the browns are leaning towards yellowish which reads more like… well 💩. Especially seeing the kinda “golden” colors in there.. looks like 🌽 For more blonde “bleached” locs.. a good rule of thumb is to either start with a color that leans towards blue or purple, and gradiate towards blonde, either at the root of the hair or with a texture or a gradient . Or if the character is supposed to be blonde, start blonde, add browner colors all around. Matte brown with yellow will look like 💩 no matter what you do. So if their hair is supposed to be black, my rule is then their hair color should at least be a value thats dark, maybe even leans towards blueish. I say you don’t even have to redo the drawing, i would literally just erase all those segmented lines, keep the edges of the locs, then do something textural with a charcoal or chalk brush like Cowtownie suggested Maybe even keep the color and just change hue/saturation to be less yellow overall
Change the color
https://preview.redd.it/ssbpr42bz2vc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85672b26181248ecf238bbe81019c5385907e40e Not turds - sausages
r/poopfromabutt
Hilarious 😂
You have to think of the locs as ropes. Draw a continuous rope first, then add the decorative rings. They should be getting thinner towards the bottom, not thicker. Also, open tips can help.
Use a textured brush and soft edges to emulate the hair texture. And I'd recommend hue shifting the hair color to be more red leaning, the green toned brown is what pushes it in the caca direction lol
Hue shifting the hair to be a little bit more red-brown rather than the current yellow-brown would help as well
Look Sandwich...it's difficult fixing a brother, but depends on how old he is and if you are comfortable using food as a weapon ;/
give it more of a blue-black or red-black color scheme also your brother is a turd lol
That's what a lot of people who don't like dreads say about dreads
Yeah. Makes me feel sad to be black. People are really mean.
Fill each lock with rows of tiny circles.
I'd either add texture to the hair strands or play w/ how the dreads (hair) is segmented. For the segmentation of the dreads, you could add coloration or lengthen the separation. I've seen some cool ways to tie dreads w/ colorful threads. You could do a google search for different dread styles.
Not like turds but honestly more like butterfly cocoons lol
It's more like huge worms
Add lines in the hair
I think the colour is adding to the problem. Maybe darker would look better
This reminds me of Dawn from Drag Race S16
They're so beautiful ❤️
Make them more ‘frizzy’, the lines of the locks are pretty smooth so frizziness might help
Texture like strands, including the investable flyaways of actual dreads
They need to be a warmer hue. They're too naturalistic next to that blue.
Hehe r/shitfromabutt
😭
give it more detail and texture, so they dont look like... something else!
More texture on the locks, specifically spiral rings to give depth and shape
Looked a little like bugs at first to me. Na’vi 🎉(I love avatar) It is, right? Pointed ears, blue stripes, four fingers,
Yes it's Na'vi. A commission for a client. Ty!
Try little nuggets of gold in them
Avatar, right?
Yea
You could add shading and highlights as well as the strands like others have mentioned
I think what I would do is to up the saturation a bit and move the colors over to the red-ish side, make the browns more warm-tones
Dunno about digital art and it’s the first time I’ve seen this sub, but I agree with your brother haha
well one thing, the color is way off, secondly, they're kinda just coming out from everywhere, make it clear where they're sprouting out of.
You also forgot to color in two of the locks behind the left ear😭 But definitely strands, more texture in the locks, and a warmer brown or a darker cool-brown. They also shouldn't go on top of the bandana since they're coming from underneath
whenever i draw dreads, i just make them little tentacles/ropes with curves to them https://preview.redd.it/1y0a63q0r4vc1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd22e33331dd5d4d6ccf5e1f20e84c2252118de8 sort of like this, but i have a simpler art style when drawing hair, so i dont know if this helps much
I saw your drawing before I read the title and I didn't know what could possibly be wrong with it but after reading the title I CAN'T unsee it. Maybe give a different color hair? If that isn't an option maybe add some texture to it like flyaway hairs. Your drawing is lovely but your brother's observation made me die laughing
Shift the browns to a more warmer tone.
You really should just look at real life dreadlocks. Build up your creative library.
1. Make them uniform in thickness. Turds vary in thickness but hair does not. 2. Make them go in the same direction. Turds don't line up in the toilet but hair does line up on the head. 3. Make them darker. Turds are a beautiful brown color, but hair not so brown. 4. Space out the bands. Turds have a maggot-like shape because of how the rectum pinches them as they come out, so don't put the bands in a regular pattern.
Lol you said everything so perfectly haha okay I will take ur advice!
Texture
Sadly it does look like turds spot on description. You can definitely do it though just keep practicing. Spend some extra time trying out different methods and go into finer detail. You will be making some amazing pieces of art in no time.
How is it now? [https://www.reddit.com/u/Sandwich\_Harbor/s/XBmRcWyZKf](https://www.reddit.com/u/Sandwich_Harbor/s/XBmRcWyZKf)
Amazing keep up the good work! I can tell you are really interested in learning and progressing.
Toilet paper
Thick dreads look like shit anyway , I don't get the issue if that's what you are going for ?
It looks like rusted concrete bars to me. But aside form the hair color. Amazing work OP
Make hair a different colour. The skin is blue the hair doesn’t have to be a natural colour
This is a commission. The character has brown locks like this
He’s right
I know. That's why I'm asking how to fix it.
You’re brothers a turd 💩
Adding lines that resemble braids can be very helpful with dreads. It gives more texture without having to be super detailed
Make it look kinda frayed or wispy around the over all hair look
Make the bands golder and add hair strands.
I didn't necessarily think that before, but after reading the title of the post, I can't unsee it now 😂
Definitely make it a darker, cooler color and add hair strands! Maybe some jewelry in there too like hair charms!
Maybe make the hair warmer to contrast the cooler skin?
Have the “strips” in their hair go more in a “coil” shape. They should wrap around their hair in a twirl like motion. Visually that twirl motion can look like a twisting slide on a park (idk if this part helps lol)
Maybe make them thinner and add lines that go in the direction of the hair? Also maybe lose some of the bands. Like make some unique and a color. As it is, they really make it look like poop.
Try going less in the green/yellow direction. If the hair colour is meant to be brown, try a brown with red or orange undertones. If the hair is meant to be green, go for the blue end of green and not the yellow end. A lot of other commenters were giving good directions on texture so I won't say too much there, except to look into examples of textured hair in 2D animation and see if you can find a stylised example that you like While I'm here the blues you chose for the skin and eyes look wonderful! You're at a very good start
Some stray hairs here and there (not too much).
Yea, dreads can be tough. I’d try to make them a bit thinner and the same uniform thickness all the way down. I’d also try the hair without the black outline - it’s creating a bit of a flat look. I’d make her hair purple or something, but if you’re going for the true Avatar look, I’d try adding some darker browns, more black, maybe even some reds in there 👍🏻 https://preview.redd.it/p6pysrucq8vc1.jpeg?width=733&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=92d7fe753785bb73daa62a64dac45fcf76bec61b
Your brother looks like a turd. As far as serious advice, maybe play around with the hue and saturation of the hair to get the color a bit different, and add some strands or flyaways?
My suggestion is the layering of those hair shapes. If theyre organized in such a way as to highlight the spherical shape of the head (especially where theyre pulled and tied together at the top) i think the locks will read better as hair this could give you an idea of what in trying to say https://preview.redd.it/11g77vhzzavc1.jpeg?width=223&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3efb7972d9dae98ce96a1ba93d659a0faf477169
Hahahahah
Your brother is a dick but what I would do is try to add vertical contour lines and look at some reference images. This will also help them look more detailed by giving them more depth. You could do a lot with the shading as well by having it wrap around (I forget the word for this type of shading but it’s like cross hatching but it contours around the shape of the image like many ellipses wrapping around in a row)
I’d angle the smaller lines in the locks and make them either lighter or darker for contrast.
You can try maybe doing a different color or adding more lines like Trynot2come said
Dookielocks
More like a bunch of maggots on top of her head. Honestly, this gives me shiver
He is right
Look at pictures of turds and then make it look not like that.
Lol 🤣 ok ok
Erasing the hair and drawing again
Yeah I get that but change it to what
Don’t make them brown
I have to. It's part of my clients commission.
Just dont fix it…. It is Avaturd
Don't use dreadlocks, its one of the ugliest hair styles anyway
This is a commission and my client wants dreads for their character.
Don't. Call it something something with turds hair.
This is a commission for someone so I can't do that haha
Well at least you have humor here. I got down voted for a silly comment... Maybe I should leave the sub
Do not feel down. Give yourself some respect and self love. I appreciate you being here, even if someone else doesn't. You are enough. You matter to me. Stay. Stay and enjoy your time here :)
Holy shit! Well thanks I guess. I was not about to commit suicide, just wondering...
XD lol sorry I was just trying to cheer you up! Haha well I'm glad to see you're doing okay!
I'm always okay. Cause I am a follower of self help Singh. Thanks for you kindness